


It Takes Two

by captainraz



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: Dancing, F/F, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-16
Updated: 2016-10-27
Packaged: 2018-08-22 17:51:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8294728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainraz/pseuds/captainraz
Summary: “I didn’t know you could dance like this,” Erin said.

  “I’m just full of surprises aren’t I?” Holtz shot back with a wink. 
In which Holtzmann showcases a surprising skill.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a prompt from [HardlyAverage](http://archiveofourown.org/users/HardlyAverage)

Erin Gilbert was accustomed to a lot of strange things. Ectoplasm, PKE readings, ridicule, laughter and apparitions from classes I through VII. In the grand scheme of things a little bit of dancing from their resident mad engineer (always more enthusiastic than coordinated) didn’t even register on the weird scale. In fact, Erin often felt like her day wasn’t complete until she’d borne witness to Holtzmann’s odd brand of flirt-dancing.

So when the opening riff to Eye of the Tiger floated out of the speaker and Holtzmann turned the volume up, Erin didn’t even think about it. Until there was a grease-smudged hand hovering dangerously close to her nose. She looked up to see Holtz standing there with a shit-eating grin on her face.

“Dance with me, Gilbert,” she said, grin never even wavering a millimetre.

“I’ve got to finish these equations…”

“Dance with me,” Holtz insisted, and Erin knew she wouldn’t be left alone until she agreed. With a sigh she put her papers down and took the offered hand. Holtz pulled her out of her seat and into the middle of the lab floor.

Erin was expecting some kind of freestyle flailing of limbs that would inevitably end up in a small fire when the blowtorches came out, so when Holtz swung her into a ballroom style hold she was surprised. Flush against Holtzmann’s chest, she almost forgot to breathe as she was led through the first few steps of the tango.

“I didn’t know you could dance like this,” Erin said, doing what she could to keep up.

“I’m just full of surprises aren’t I?” Holtz shot back with a wink. Erin felt her insides turn to jelly. Rather belatedly she remembered that the tango was a very… intimate dance.

Holtz led her round the turn and through a few more steps before dipping her. With all her weight being supported by Holtzmann’s arms and those eyes looking down at her with that smile, Erin didn’t think she’d ever felt so romanced. She could imagine it now: Holtz would lean down and gently press their lips together, or pull her up to kiss her properly, and then there would be shy confessions of mutual feelings (and the odd flirty comment because Erin _knew_ Holtzmann).

So of course that was when she heard footsteps on the stairs.

Holtz must have heard them too because her head whipped up and, her a attention elsewhere, her grip on Erin slipped. She hit the floor with a thump and an audible ‘oof’.

“Oh shit Erin, I’m so sorry,” Holtz said, scrambling to help her up.

“Don’t worry about it,” Erin mumbled, her fantasy well and truly shattered.

“What y’all doing banging around up here?” Patty demanded. “We got ghosts to bust, girls.”

Erin shared a look with Holtz before they both bolted for their gear.

***

The thought stayed with Erin for days, like an itch in the back of her mind. She wanted to know where Holtz learned to dance, if she knew any other ballroom dances, how she might look in a tux on a dance floor… And of course she wanted to dance with her again.

Late one night, after finding herself almost disappointed to be on the receiving end of Holtz’s usual dance moves, she looked up some instructional videos on YouTube. She watched them over and over, practicing the moves as best she could in her tiny apartment. She couldn’t practice the dips properly without a partner but she committed the moves to memory, and she waited.

***

Almost a month had passed since their thwarted tango in the lab by the time something suitable started playing. Erin’s heart was in her throat as she made her way to Holtz’s workbench (where the engineer was hitting something with a wrench) and stuck a hand out.

“May I have this dance, Doctor Holtzmann?” Holtz looked surprised, Erin had never initiated one of their dances before, but she took the offered hand. Erin led her to the middle of the lab, her heart hammering in her chest the whole time, and set them up for a tango. She hadn’t had any real practice at leading and she was sure she was messing up half the steps, but Holtzmann didn’t look like she really cared.

“Why Doctor Gilbert, aren’t you full of surprises?” she asked, eyes bright and smile stretched across her face.

Erin felt her cheeks heat up. “I try.” She swung Holtzmann round the turn and stuttered to an ungrateful halt. “I’m afraid that’s all I learned.”

“No problem babe,” Holtz said, adjusting their hands slightly and taking the lead, “I got you.” She led the rest of the dance, coaching and encouraging Erin when her memory failed or she was too busy staring at Holtz to concentrate. No matter how many times she stumbled, Holtz was there to steady her, arms warm and face kind, and Erin never wanted it to end.

“You do know this song is about a prostitute, right?” Holtz asked with a wicked smirk.

Erin felt like her face was on fire. “Shut up. I really like Moulin Rouge okay?”

“Huh, wouldn’t have pegged you as a fan of weepy tragic romance,” Holtz said as she dipped Erin.

“Tragedy no. Romance, yes,” she said, meeting Holtz’s gaze with all the courage she could muster. She could have sworn she felt Holtz’s breath hitch.

Holtzmann pulled her out of the dip so their chests were pressed together, their joined hands coming between them. Her eyes almost burned with the intensity of the look she was giving her and Erin couldn’t tear her gaze away.

“Erin.”

“Holtz.”

“I’m going to kiss you now,” she whispered. Erin felt a shiver run down her spine. “I hope that’s okay. Cos if it’s not I can totally not do that, I mean–”

“Holtz?”

“Erin?”

“Shut up.” Erin pulled Holtz’s lips to hers and then her brain stopped working. The only thought it was capable of registering was that Holtzmann was a really _really_ good kisser. Lips soft and gentle, little puffs of breath sweet against Erin’s skin (and she wanted to know when Holtz had been eating marshmallows cos she hadn’t seen a thing). Erin’s brain tried to catalogue every sensation and failed, simply noting her elevated heart rate and the release of oxytocin as very good things. Kissing Holtzmann was, in a word, bliss.

They pulled apart and then Holtzmann was looking at her with those eyes and that smirk and Erin thought her heart might stop altogether. “Wow,” she said, the only thing she could think of to say.

“Wow,” Holtz agreed.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been kissed like that in my life.”

“I’d say that’s a shame but I’m not all that sorry cos I want to be the only one who kisses you like that.”

“You can try again, if you like.”

“Awesome,” said Holtz, and did just that.

Later, after they’d shared many, many kisses and finally ventured downstairs to tell Abby and Patty the good news over Chinese takeout, their friends’ inquisitive natures got the better of them.

“So how’d you guys finally get together?” Abby demanded to know.

Holtz shot Erin a grin that made her heart stutter in her chest. “Oh, I knew Gilbert would succumb to my dance moves eventually. No one can resist the tango: Holtzmann.”

Erin threw her napkin at her with a laugh.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this was meant to be a one shot, but my brain had other ideas. I have an idea for a third chapter and then hopefully the brain gremlins will be appeased.

Erin dropped the flyer on Holtz’s desk with a flourish, pulling her attention from the gadget she’d been working on all morning.

“What’s this, hot stuff?” Holtz asked, shooting her a winning smile. Even after all these weeks that grin still made Erin’s knees feel a little unsteady.

“Dancing lessons. It’s only a couple of blocks away so I figured…”

“You and I could blow this joint and go get down with our bad selves?” Holtz said, her grin somehow becoming even wider.

“Well I wouldn’t have put it _quite_ like that, but yes. I thought that since you _can_ dance and I… can sort of move my body in a vaguely rhythmic fashion, it might be fun for us to practice together. So, Holtz, would you like to go dancing with me?”

“It would be my pleasure, ma’am,” Holtz said, putting on an exaggerated Southern drawl as she dropped a kiss to Erin’s hand. “When’s the first session?”

“Tomorrow night. I’ll go book us a place shall I?”

“Mmm,” Holtz said. Erin could tell her attention was already back on… whatever it was she was currently building. She kissed the top of her girlfriend’s head affectionately, well used to it.

“Try not to set yourself on fire before tomorrow night,” Erin called as she headed downstairs to make the call.

“Sure thing babe!” Holtz shouted back.

Erin wasn’t even halfway down the stairs when she heard something explode.

***

The lessons were being held in an old dance hall that had probably been there since the twenties. Erin was relieved to see there was an eclectic mix of people, and she and Holtzmann weren’t the only same sex partners. One old lady glared when she saw them holding hands but Holtz just beamed at her until she broke eye contact. Erin gave her a quick kiss as a reward.

They had been one of the last couples to arrive, thanks to Erin having a minor panic over what to wear, and the instructor got things rolling very quickly. She asked who had done ballroom before and a few people besides Holtz raised their hands.

After that they were off, learning the first few moves to the cha cha cha. The instructor would demonstrate with her partner and then let the participants have a go while they went around offering tips and correcting technique. Holtzmann slipped into the dance easily, obviously having done this one before.

“You never did tell me how you learned to ballroom dance,” Erin said softly, when they took a moments’ break.

“I helped out at a community centre for a while in college. Stuff for troubled youths you know? They did dancing lessons one semester and this one queer kid couldn’t find a partner, so I offered. Ended up learning how to lead because I was so much taller than her.”

Erin’s heart thumped pleasantly in her chest and she fell just a little bit more in love with Holtz. “That’s so sweet.”

“I know right?” Holtz said with a grin. “Anyway, some of the other kids were picking on her cos she had to partner with one of the adults for the dancing.”

“What did you do?” Erin asked, too entranced by Holtzmann’s story to pay attention to where her feet were going. She tripped and almost fell, but Holtz was there to catch her.

“Steady on there babe, I thought you’d already fallen for me?” Erin felt her cheeks heat up but there was no judgement in her girlfriend’s voice, just honest affection and boundless patience. “You ready to try that again?”

Erin nodded and Holtz took her through the steps again, more slowly this time. “I can see you being a great youth leader,” she said once they’d gotten through a full repetition of the steps.

“Naw, I wasn’t cut out for it really. Spent too much time teaching the kids how to build minor explosives to really be a good role model. Still, I reckon if I helped one baby gay come to terms with herself I did good.”

“You said she was bullied?”

“Yeah,” Holtz said, with a grin that was nothing short of wicked, “she was. Til I had a word with the kids doing it. They were too scared to go near her after that.”

Erin felt a surge of pride in Holtz. There were tears in the corner of her eyes and words struggling to fight their way out of her mouth but she swallowed both; this was neither the time nor the place. She spent the rest of the lesson resolutely concentrating on her footwork rather than thinking how wonderful her girlfriend was. She steadily improved, dancing was, after all, just a matter of physics and once she’d worked out the correct equations (for approximations thereof at any rate, she was dancing with Holtz who was utterly unpredictable) she managed okay. The instructor congratulated her on her progress as they were leaving, and Erin found herself looking forward to the next session.

***

Dancing and ghost busting, it turned out, went hand in hand. As the weeks passed and she and Holtz began practising more complex dances, Erin found her muscles getting stronger. She had less trouble hauling her proton pack around and the increased coordination in her feet was invaluable for avoiding ectoplasm bursts; if she’d known that learning how to dance would result in fewer slimings she’d have taken it up ages ago.

She and Holtz were more in tune with each other too, which led to some very pleasant developments in their relationship. Erin still thought it was unfair that Holtz had developed abs and she hadn’t, but she was more than happy to reap the rewards.

The two of them practised in the lab a lot and, while Erin missed the improvised kind of dances Holtz used to do for her, she had to admit that this way there were fewer fires. That afternoon they’d been practising the waltz they’d started learning a few weeks back and Holtzmann was trying to convince Erin to let her have a go at the lift.

“No!”

“Why not?” Holtz asked with an exaggerated pout.

“I’m too heavy. I don’t want to end up on the floor.”

“Aw come on Er-bear. I won’t drop you, pinky swear. Look at these guns,” she said, pulling up her sleeves to show off her biceps, “I can lift you. Trust me.”

Despite her misgivings, Erin believed her. Holtz was an excellent engineer and could calculated load bearing and weight limits faster than Erin could breathe; if she was sure she could lift her girlfriend then she could.

“I do trust you,” she said her voice soft and letting her emotions through.

“Come on then.” Holtz switched the music on (so Abby and Patty couldn’t hear what they were up to) and shook out her arms to limber up. Erin moved to the opposite side of the room and tried to pretend she wasn’t nervous. “Ready babe?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

“On three?” Erin nodded. “One.. two… three!”

Erin took a run up, jumped at just the right moment and then she was flying. Holtz lifted her up and over her head and held her there. It didn’t last very long but they managed a mostly graceful landing and then Holtz was jumping around the lab ecstatically.

“Holy shit that was so cool!” she shouted. “That was freaking awesome, you were awesome babe. I _knew_ I could lift you.” Holtz’s face was lit up with sheer unadulterated joy at having succeeded, and Erin loved her for it.

“Hey Holtz?”

“Yeah babe?” she said, coming to a halt and giving her girlfriend her full attention.

“I love you.”

The slightly manic edge left her grin, but the force of it didn’t abate one bit. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re not just saying that cos I didn’t drop you on your head, right?” There was a tiny hint of doubt in Holtz’s voice and Erin wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, wanting nothing more than to chase that doubt away.

“I’m not just saying that, no. I love you.”

“Sweet!” Holtz said and pulled Erin in for a kiss. Just when it looked like things were getting interesting (and they were going to break workplace romance rule #3: no having sex around experimental equipment) the alarm went off; they had a job.

With great reluctance Erin pulled her lips from Holtz’s and went to collect her gear.

“Hey Erin,” Holtz said, her voice soft and quiet, almost impossible to hear over the noise of the fire house.

Erin turned around. “Yeah Holtz?”

“I love you too.” Her eyes were locked on Erin’s, and utterly sincere.

“Yeah?” Erin asked.

“Yeah,” Holtz confirmed.

Erin grinned. “Sweet. Let’s go bust some ghosts.”

“Yes ma’am!”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: all my ballroom dancing knowledge comes from watching Strictly.

“A competition?” Erin asked, completely shocked.

“Yeah,” said Louisa, the woman who had been Erin and Holtz’s dance instructor for the last two years. “We had a couple drop out last minute and we need to fill the spot. You two are more than good enough to compete.”

“Why thank you very much,” Holtz said in her best Elvis impersonation, shit-eating grin plastered all over her face. Erin rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything; after all this time she was used to her girlfriend’s antics, and she loved her for it.

“What do we need to do?” she asked, because _someone_ had to be the sensible one, and let’s face it, it was always going to be Erin.

Louisa shot them a grateful look because Erin had all but confirmed they would be taking part and launched into the details. Choreography, routine length, dress codes. Erin was a little bit excited to learn that, even though they would be two women competing, one of them would be expected to put on a tux.

“I volunteer as tribute,” Holtz said immediately and Erin’s heart skipped a beat. The woman looked amazing in the casual suits she wore around the firehouse and had scrubbed up nicely for the odd event the mayor had thrown them, but what would look like in a properly tailored tuxedo? She couldn’t wait to find out.

“Wonderful,” said Louisa. “I’ll sort all your paperwork out for you. I look forward to seeing you compete.”

***

It turned out that, although Holtzmann was the more talented dancer of the two, she didn’t exactly have a knack for choreography. Or rather, she was very good at choreography, but almost none of her suggestions would be allowed by the judges, so Erin took over designing their routine.

“Spoilsport,” Holtz had said, pouting a little, and spent the next hour turning small chunks of metal to slag with her blowtorch. Erin knew she wasn’t properly sulking (a proper Holtzmann sulk was spectacular, and could last for days) but she indulged her girlfriend on this occasion and “made it up” to her with some rather excellent sex. Patty was still complaining about the noise they’d made a week later.

The routine came together, and they were as ready for the competition as they would ever be. Abby and Patty had demanded to be allowed to go with them to cheer them on, which Erin was touched by. They’d never shown that much of an interest in Erin and Holtz’s dancing hobby, but to have their support at their first competition meant a lot to her.

The big day approached and everything was in place. Holtz spent the run up to the competition being oddly secretive. Erin wasn’t allowed to see her in her tux until the day, which she thought was a little odd.

“It’s not like we’re getting married,” she’d said jokingly. Holtz had just given her an enigmatic smile and carried on with her latest round of proton pack modifications. Erin shrugged it off. Holtzmann was known to be a little strange at times. It was probably nothing. And in any case, she had a dance competition to have anxiety attacks over.

***

“Stop fiddling with it,” Holtz chided, slapping Erin’s fingers away from the numbered arm band she was wearing.

“It itches,” she shot back. Hers was rubbing against her skin since she was wearing a beautiful strapless red dress for the occasion. Holtz had at least two layers of cloth between her armband and her skin. And she looked amazing in her tux, Erin had to concede.

“You’ll only make it worse,” Holtz pointed out. “Relax Gilbert, everything’s gonna be fine.”

“What if it’s not? What if I forget the dance or, or, or I trip over my feet? I could fall flat on my face and then I’ll never be able to show my face at a dance class again–”

Holtzmann cut her off with a kiss. It was impossible for Erin _not_ to relax into it; after so long together Holtz knew every move than made Erin weak at the knees, and she wasn’t above using them for her own ends.

“Much better,” Holtz said as she stepped back and admired her handiwork. “Erin, sweetheart, love of my life, trust me when I say everything is going to be fine. We are going to go out on that dance floor and kick so much ass the judges won’t know what hit them. Now, what are you?”

“I’m a Ghosbuster.”

“Damn right you are! And what does a Ghostbuster do?”

“Bust ghosts?”

“Erin!”

“Oh, sorry. Kicks ass.”

“That’s my girl. Now, take a deep breath and count to ten. It’s show time.”

She was right, their names were being called out over the tannoy. Erin took a deep breath as commanded, and stepped out onto the dance floor.

Everything after that was a little bit of a blur. She remembered the smile on Holtz’s face as they took the first few steps of the dance (a tango, since it had been the first dance they’d ever done together) and then the next thing she knew they were at the end of the dance. Holtz’s face was flushed and sweaty, and she was breathing hard from the exertion. Erin didn’t think she’d ever looked so beautiful.

They were the last couple to dance in their category (and oh hadn’t that played havoc with Erin’s anxiety) which meant they’d get to see where they were in the rankings as soon as the judges awarded their scores. Erin wanted to bite her fingernails she was so nervous. The four judges sat at their long table, talking among themselves. They all looked so stern. Erin was reminded of her doctoral committee. Being tested on her physics knowledge was a lot less nerve-wracking.

“Relax babe,” Holtz said, grabbing Erin’s hand and bringing it to her lips for a reassuring kiss. “We did our best. I’m super proud of you.”

“You are?”

Holtz nodded, and Erin knew she was being a hundred percent serious. It still didn’t happen all that often but Erin got to see it more than a lot of people.

The judges indicated they were ready to reveal their scores. Erin thought she would be sick.

“Oh I can’t look,” she said and screwed her eyes tightly shut. The next thing she knew there was thundering applause from the audience (and loud whooping that could only be Abby and Patty). She opened her eyes again. Holtz looked stunned, her mouth open wide. “What? What did we get?”

“Three sevens and an eight,” Holtz said. She sounded utterly dumbfounded.

“Is that good?”

“Erin, sweetheart, that puts us in second. We took silver!”

“In our first competition?”

“Yeah baby!” Holtz put her hand out for their secret handshake (which she’d designed after Erin had said she felt left out seeing Holtz and Abby do theirs after every successful bust) but Erin pulled her into a tight embrace instead.

“I love you so much,” she whispered fiercely into her girlfriend’s ear.

Holtz bit her lip. “Ah shit, I said I would wait until afterwards but fuck it.”

Erin gave her girlfriend a puzzled look. “Holtz…”

“As you know, physics is the movement of bodies in space and in that respect it’s not entirely unlike dancing. And you are the best dance partner I have ever had. You are the only celestial body that I want to orbit, the only dance partner I will ever need, and I want to spend the rest of my life dedicated to studying the interaction between me and you. Erin Gilbert, will you marry me?”

Erin blinked in shock. Part of her wanted to ask if Holtz was serious but she knew full well that she was. Her speech was halting and quiet in that way she got when she was utterly sincere. And if that wasn’t enough of an indicator Holtz was pulling a freaking jewellery box out of her pocket and oh god Erin hadn’t actually responded yet.

“Yes,” she said suddenly, trying to put everything she was feeling into a single word. “Yes, of course I’ll marry you, Holtz.”

“Awesome,” she said, breaking out into the biggest, brightest smile Erin had ever seen. She couldn’t help herself; she reached out and grabbed Holtz by the lapels, pulling her in for the kiss of a lifetime. The grin was still there when they broke apart and, astonishingly, the crowd was still clapping and cheering.

“Well?” Patty’s voice yelled from somewhere in the stands.

“She said yes!” Holtz hollered back. The cheering intensified.

The next hour or so was as much of a blur as the dance had been. Receiving their medals was lovely (“next time we’re going for gold, baby!” Holtz had said) but she much preferred what happened afterwards, when Holtz slipped a clearly handmade engagement ring onto her finger.

“I’m so glad I asked you to dance,” Holtz said, resting her head on Erin’s shoulder.

“Me too,” Erin replied, admiring her new jewellery. “me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like my fanfiction, feel free to check out my original stuff at my blog, [captainraz.co.uk](http://www.captainraz.co.uk)


End file.
